The Meeting
by Relaen
Summary: Ok, this is a little romantic story about Xanatos and Yenshu,but it is not related to my other story. It's R for a rape scene...not expliced, but there.


"Xanatos.is.alive?" Yenshu asked, the words slowly sinking into her mind. "But I saw.the ship! It exploded! How.?"  
  
"We do not know how it is that he lived, but don't worry, we'll keep him from you." The voice of a healer assured her. It wasn't much of an assurance.  
  
Yenshu closed her eyes, falling back into unconsciousness. Slowly, the memories of what had happened came to her mind. She was on a mission with her master to stop a member of the Sith from blowing up an ambassador's ship. Her master, Winna Di Yuni, had gotten word about it and made sure that they were on the ambassador's ship before it took off. While in hyperspace, the ship hit a mine that made it stop.  
  
"What happened Master?" she had asked. Her master did not answer her, but only put her finger to her mouth, telling her not to speak. Both of them pulled out their lightsabers and began circling the area.  
  
Suddenly, her master stopped. Yenshu quickly turned the same direction, wanting to be prepared. She stood slightly behind Master Yuni, so that she was not in the way. In front of them was a man in a dark cloak. His face was covered by a hood. He laughed evilly before addressing the Jedi.  
  
"You Jedi are such fools. Now you will die as fools." He said. He pulled out a blaster and a detonator. With a quick motion, he shot his blaster towards Master Yuni. The master wasn't prepared for the shot and was hit, going unconscious immediately. Yenshu knelt beside her master, trying to wake her. "Now I must go." The cloaked figure said. Before he left, he pushed the detonator that he carried.  
  
"Why are you leaving?" Yenshu yelled, trying to hold back her tears. The cloaked figure stopped and turned. "Why do you leave when you still have a fight?" she asked, activating her saber.  
  
".Yenshu?" the figure asked, shock in his voice.  
  
Yenshu looked at the figure suspiciously. "Who are you?" she asked. The figure stepped towards her and removed his hood. Yenshu looked at the face in shock. ".Xanatos?" she asked, immediately recognizing him.  
  
Xanatos walked towards Yenshu, who had deactivated her saber and placed it on her belt. "Yenshu.I.I never thought." Xanatos didn't have time to finish his statement. He suddenly remembered the ten bombs he had set off in the ship. "You have to get out of here. Come with me and I'll take you back to the temple." He said, grabbing her hand.  
  
Yenshu pulled away from him. "I can't.I can't leave my master." She said firmly, kneeling next to her master again.  
  
"Yenshu, please.I don't think I could live knowing that I killed you. We have to leave now." Xanatos said, kneeling next to Yenshu with pleading eyes.  
  
"I can't. You should go while you have the chance." She said, trying not to meet his eyes.  
  
Xanatos pulled her face towards his, so that he could look into her eyes. "I am not leaving you to die." He said firmly. Suddenly, throughout the ship, a beeping could be heard. Xanatos knew that none of the bombs were in the immediate area, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be debris. The first bomb went off. It was right above them. After only considering it for a second, Xanatos threw himself on top of Yenshu, protecting her as pieces of the ship fell around them.  
  
Yenshu looked up in horror. She could see all of the metal shrapnel falling around them. She could see the pieces that should have been hitting her but weren't. She looked into Xanatos's eyes. He smiled down at her weakly, attempting to cover the immense pain he felt from the metal hitting his back, but he could not hide it in his eyes. Tears began to form. Slowly, a tear fell onto Yenshu's face just before Xanatos fell into unconsciousness.  
  
That was the last thing Yenshu remembered. The next thing she knew, she was in the healers back at the temple on Coruscant. The healers were buzzing around her. Her master, Master Yuni, was next to her, but Xanatos was nowhere to be found. When she asked, they told her that he had escaped somehow.  
  
With the permission of the healers, Yenshu stood and began roaming the temple, thinking about what had happened. 'Xanatos could have died.for.me?' she thought to herself as she walked, unaware of what was going on around her. She found her way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. In that room, there was a garden on a cliff. It was more like a small forest. She often came here when she was deep in thought. She knew a few hiding spots so that no one could find her unless they knew her very well.  
  
She went to one of her spots and leaned against the cool, stone, wall. What was she doing? She shouldn't even be thinking about Xani.no, that was no longer his name. She shouldn't call him by her child-hood nickname for him. His name was Xanatos and he was a Sith. He was an enemy of the Jedi Order. He has killed numerous innocents because of his reckless hatred.  
  
But then, he was always there for her. When they were little, not once did he hurt her feelings. He never made her feel bad. In fact, she often felt better about herself when he was there. He had a way of making all of her negative feelings just.disappear. He always protected her when the other initiates picked on her. He was so excited for her when she was chosen as a padawan. He was.Xani.  
  
"Whatcha thinking about, E?" a voice said. It was the same voice from the cloak.from her childhood. Yenshu looked up and saw Xanatos leaning tenderly on the wall across from her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked as a smile creased her face. She stood and closed the distance between them, hugging her oldest friend, but being careful of his wounds.  
  
"I wanted to make sure you were alright. After I passed out, I wasn't sure what had happened. I woke up as the healers entered what was left of the ship. You seemed fine when I left, but I wanted to be absolutely sure, so as soon as you got by yourself, I figured I'd come and check." He explained with a mischievous smirk on his face. His face became more solemn. "So, are you ok?" he asked, indicating the bandage on her forehead.  
  
Yenshu nodded. "I'm fine. It's just a bump.what about you?" she asked, worry in her tone. "How is your back?" she asked. Xanatos shrugged. "Let me see it." She said.  
  
Slowly, Xanatos turned around, unbuttoning his shirt so that she could look. Yenshu took a deep breath when she saw his back and tears came to her eyes. He had deep cuts all over; it almost looked like someone had whipped him because there were so many. In some of the wounds, there was still metal shrapnel. Wiping her eyes, Yenshu said, "Lay down on your stomach while I get a med pack."  
  
Xanatos obeyed, remembering how many times in the past this had happened. He would start a fight with someone because they were making fun of or hurting Yenshu and she would clean his wounds, nursing him back to health. He had never had to go to the healers because Yenshu was always there to help him. She wouldn't leave his side until he had completely healed.  
  
Yenshu returned with a large med pack. She used the Force to locate all of the pieces of metal in her friend's back and extract them. Xanatos bit his lower lip to keep from saying anything due to the pain. As quickly as she could, she used a disinfectant to clean the wounds. Once this was done, she found a needle and thread and sewed all of his especially bad marks. To finish it off she put bacta patches over them.  
  
"There, all done." She said. A groan escaped Xanatos's lips as he sat up. Yenshu grinned. "It wasn't that bad was it?" she asked playfully.  
  
"I don't know what was worse, getting the wounds or having you heal them." He asked sarcastically. A smile formed across his lips. "Thanks E." he said. Carefully he put his shirt back on. Once he was finished, he stood. "I have to go now." He said, sounding somewhat sad.  
  
"What? You aren't going anywhere until you are healed." Yenshu said in a motherly tone.  
  
"I can't stay here. The Jedi want me dead and you know it." Xanatos said.  
  
Yenshu walked towards him. "Would you stay if you weren't wanted?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.  
  
"In a heartbeat." He said with a reassuring smile.  
  
"If you would just talk to the council.I know they'd let you back in!" Yenshu said, not wanting to give up. She put her head on Xanatos's shoulder, letting a tear escape.  
  
Xanatos wrapped his arms around her, holding her. "I can't.you know that all that would happen is that I'd be thrown in prison for life, if not killed. I can't come back E.but you could always come with me." he said.  
  
Yenshu looked up into his eyes. It was a genuine request and one that she had heard before. He asked her the first time he left the temple. He asked her on the ship that exploded. He was asking her now. Their faces moved closer together and their lips touched softly. Xanatos licked her lips, wishing to deepen the kiss. Without hesitation, Yenshu opened her mouth, allowing Xanatos inside.  
  
Xanatos's arms around Yenshu tightened. Yenshu wrapped her arms around Xanatos's neck. Xanatos ignored the slight pain he felt from his wounds there, not wanting to ruin this moment.this perfect moment. If only he had ruined it, so that others wouldn't get the opportunity.  
  
"Yenshu!" someone called. It was Master Yuni. Yenshu and Xanatos were so lost in the moment that they did not hear her call. "Yenshu, are you.Yenshu!" Winna Di Yuni had found them. Master Yuni pulled Yenshu from Xanatos's arms and pushed Xanatos away, making his back hit the wall hard. He winced in pain.  
  
"No! Master, stop!" Yenshu said, trying to get to Xanatos to help him.  
  
Master Yuni kept her back and pulled a com link out of her robe. "This is Master Winna Di Yuni. Masters, you had better get down here." She said before quickly giving directions to her location.  
  
Yenshu was finally able to break through her masters grip and run to Xanatos, who was now kneeling on the ground due to the pain in his back. Yenshu knelt in front of Xanatos. "Xani.everything will be fine.you're alright, don't worry.I won't let anything happen to you." She said, her hands gripping Xanatos's shoulders.  
  
Xanatos looked up into Yenshu's eyes. She was the only thing he could see. Everything else was fuzzy. "E." he whispered, his voice raspy. Then everything went black.  
  
*****  
  
"What was he doing here?" Master Windu asked the eighteen-year-old padawan.  
  
Yenshu glared at the master. "He was checking on me." She said, somewhat angrily.  
  
"Be angry with us you should not." Master Yoda reprimanded her gently. "Worried for you we are. Hurt you did he?"  
  
"No! He saved me on that ship and then came to check on me." Yenshu replied. The council looked at her in shock.  
  
"He.saved.you?" Adi Gallia asked slowly. "He blew up the rest of the ship but he saved you?"  
  
Yenshu sighed. "When the ceiling began collapsing, he covered me, keeping the metal and shrapnel from killing me. That's where he got the marks on his back. He left after making sure that I would live and then he stopped by to check on me." She explained, trying to ignore the council's suspicious eyes.  
  
"Why would he do that?" Ki Adi Mundi asked after thinking a moment.  
  
"Just because he doesn't like you or the Order, doesn't mean that he doesn't care about me anymore either." Yenshu said spitefully.  
  
"Hurt and killed many people he has and be punished for it he will." Yoda said, finalization in his voice.  
  
Yenshu looked each member of the council in the eye, ending with her master, who stood behind her. "Do what you want." She said before storming out of the room.  
  
"Do you think he hurt her in any way?" Master Yuni asked the council after Yenshu had left.  
  
"I don't know." Eeth said, shaking his head. "She stands up for him, like she knows him better than we do through the Force."  
  
"Perhaps she does." Shaak Ti said. All eyes went to her. "Her and Xanatos were very close when I ran the crèche. They were always together. Some said they were so close they had a bond."  
  
"A bond?" Winna Di Yuni asked. "I thought only masters and padawan could share the bond."  
  
"If two people are close enough and are both Force sensitive, then they can share a bond, but it is very rare." Mace Windu explained.  
  
"Dismissed you are. Tend to your padawan you must." Yoda said. Master Yuni nodded, bowed and left the room to find Yenshu.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos jumped from the bed he was laying on. "E!" he yelled, his eyes looking frantically around the cell. In a matter of moments, he realized that he had been imprisoned and was brought here after he had passed out. "Now way they would have let her come here with me." He mumbled to himself, cursing under his breath for letting his guard down.  
  
"Who said I would ask for permission?" a soft voice said from front of the cell. Xanatos turned and saw Yenshu smiling at him from the shadow of a dark cloak.  
  
In two quick paces, Xanatos had crossed to where Yenshu was standing and grabbed her extended hand, kissing it gently. "What are you doing here? You'll get in trouble if you're caught." He said, worriedly looking around.  
  
"Don't worry about me. I'm here to help you." She said with a smile. "I can't stand seeing you in here, so I'm going to help get you out."  
  
"No, I'll live. If you help me then you will be kicked out of the Order. I can't let that happen to you." Xanatos said firmly.  
  
"Xani, I'm going to help you weather you like it or not." She said, winking at him. From the folds of her cloak, she pulled out a datapad and a transfer card. She put both into the key card area on the cell and quickly began writing something. In a few moments, the cell door could be heard unlocking and then it opened slowly. Yenshu grinned proudly and then quickly moved aside so that Xanatos could leave.  
  
"How did you do that?" he asked as he exited the door.  
  
"Don't worry about it." She said, no looking around her to make sure that none of the guards were making their rounds. She took the cloak off of her back and put it on Xanatos. "Get out of here. I'll leave shortly after you. Just.don't hurt anyone anymore.than I'll really be in for it."  
  
Xanatos grinned. He pulled Yenshu to him and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "Don't worry. I'll come back and see you when I can. Maybe I'll cause some trouble so you can come find me." He said with a wink.  
  
"Don't you dare." Yenshu grinned. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, quickly but deeply. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Take care of yourself Xani." She said before running down the corridor in the opposite direction of the exit.  
  
"You too." Xanatos said quietly. He tightened the cloak around him and then hurried to the exit.  
  
*****  
  
"Yenshu!" Master Yuni yelled angrily. "Xanatos has escaped. Did you know anything about it?" she asked, looking at her padawan closely.  
  
"He escaped?" Yenshu asked happily. "You mean he's not gonna die in prison now?"  
  
Winna rolled her eyes. "Padawan, did you know about this? Did you help this?" she asked.  
  
"No Master, though I wish I had." Yenshu replied.  
  
"Yenshu, there could be serious repercussions if we find that you are lying." Winna threatened.  
  
"And I'm not lying so I don't care." Yenshu said hotly.  
  
"Good, then we are clear to go on a mission." Master Yuni said. "You see, the main reason we knew that Xanatos escaped is that he has taken twenty Jedi ambassadors hostage. The council has requested that we go. Knowing your history with Xanatos, I believe they are hoping you will convince him to let the Jedi go."  
  
Yenshu looked at her, shocked. "He has already.hurt people?" she asked as she sat down on her bed. Had he really already betrayed her trust? "Do they really think he will listen to me?" she asked.  
  
Winna nodded and gave an encouraging smile. "If your relationship with him is as strong as you have let on, than this should be nothing. We leave in a few hours."  
  
So it was a test? They were sending her there as a test? They were crazy! "Yes master." She said. She stood and made sure her lightsaber was on her belt and then pulled on her Jedi cloak and boots. This was going to be interesting.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos sat in a dark room. It was so cold that he could see his breath. He pulled his cloak tighter around him. It was the one that Yenshu had given him before he left. When he thought about it, he could almost feel her warmth surrounding him. 'Yenshu.I wish I could just talk to you.' he said to himself. 'I wish I could tell you that I didn't do it.I didn't kidnap them.I didn't betray you.'  
  
*****  
  
Yenshu boarded the ship and sat in the back, her knees pulled to her chest with her chin laying on them. How could he do this to her? Yenshu could feel tears forming in her eyes. Tears of anger.pain.  
  
As she sat there, a familiar presence entered her mind. It was Xanatos's presence, but he was nowhere near her. Then she felt it again. She could almost hear his voice in her head. 'I didn't betray you' it said. Could it really be him? They did have a bond when they were younger, but it disappeared shortly before he left the temple.  
  
Yenshu shrugged. What could it hurt to try? Maybe if it was still there, she could get some answers. 'Xanatos.where are you.why did you do this.' she asked mentally, using the Force to search for her friend.  
*****  
  
Xanatos immediately felt her presence. He could hear her voice. He could actually see her in his mind's eye, sitting in a chair with her cloak wrapped around her. He couldn't make her wait for an answer.anyone but her. 'Yenshu.can you hear me? Please answer me if you can.I'd give anything to talk to you, even if it is just through a bond.'  
  
Yenshu heard him and sat up straight. 'Xanatos? I can hear you. Where are you? What's going on? Did you really do what they say you did?' she said, asking all of the questions on her mind.  
  
Xanatos smiled. 'I did not do it.I told you I wouldn't hurt anyone else so I didn't. I don't know where I am.all I can tell you is that it's a dark cell.and it's cold.very cold.' he replied, trying to keep his body from shaking.  
  
'Xani.so, you didn't do it? Who did? Do you know? I need to tell my master so that she knows it's a trap.'  
  
'I don't know who did it. All I know is that they are dangerous and they want the Jedi. They knew that the council would send someone after me.I was hoping it wouldn't be you.I didn't want you to get hurt.'  
  
Yenshu smiled warmly, sending comfort and warmth to Xanatos. 'Don't worry about me.it's me who should be worried about you.I'm going to find you Xani.the other Jedi too.I'm not gonna loose you again, even if I have to drag you to the council kicking and screaming, not to mention, begging to be reentered.'  
  
Xanatos laughed to himself. 'Oh yeah, I can just imagine that.listen, if you are going to insist upon coming after me, then watch yourself.I.don't want anything to happen to you.promise me, ok? Promise me you'll tell your master it's a trap and that you will watch yourself.'  
  
'On my honor as a padawan and Jedi, you have my word.as long as you watch yourself as well.I don't want to find you all hurt and stuff ok?'  
  
'No problem.' Xanatos said. He then pulled his cloak around him and placed his head on the ground. Sleep over came him and he rested peacefully, dreaming of the times he did spend and wants to spend with Yenshu.  
  
*****  
  
Yenshu got up from her chair and ran to the cockpit of the ship, where her master was flying. "Master! Master master master master!" she yelled the entire way there.  
  
Master Yuni turned around. "What is it Yenshu?" she asked.  
  
"I talked with Xanatos and he didn't do anything.he is being held prisoner someplace and we need to help him!" Yenshu said quickly, running her words together.  
  
"He is being held prisoner?" Winna asked. Yenshu nodded. "How do you know that, I mean, how did you talk to him?"  
  
"When we were little we had a bond, master, and when you told me he did those things I decided to try to talk to him through it to see if he really did cause I didn't want to believe it so I tried and I talked to him and he told me he didn't do it and I believe him and we have to help him cause if you won't then I'll go by myself cause I'm not going to leave him alone!" Yenshu answered, her words still ran together.  
  
"We will help him." Winna said, trying to calm her padawan down. "Don't worry. I think I may know where he is being kept. You should go rest and I'll wake you when we get there."  
  
Yenshu took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks master." She said with a smile and then left to her room.  
  
After Yenshu left, Master Yuni sighed. She turned on the holoprojector to inform the council of this new information.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos woke up to a sharp kick in his side. He looked up to see the person imprisoning him. "What do you want now?" he asked, his voice raspy due to lack of water.  
  
"Oh, just to torture you some more. I was told that a Jedi ship has already entered the atmosphere and will be coming here shortly. Soon I can just kill you, along with them." The person said evilly.  
  
Xanatos's face paled. He knew in an instant it was Yenshu. "If you even touch them." he began to threaten.  
  
"What will you do about it?" he asked, kicking Xanatos in the head. "Exactly what you're doing now. Nothing."  
  
Xanatos glared at the man, ignoring the blood that was trickling into his face. "You will not hurt them." He said in a deadly whisper. His captor laughed and then left the room.  
  
*****  
  
"Yenshu, we're here." Master Yuni said, awakening her padawan.  
  
Yenshu rolled out of the bed. She could feel the darkness that was surrounding the planet. Something didn't feel right.or something was going to go wrong. "Master, I have a bad feeling about this." she said.  
  
Winna nodded. "I know. I have it too, but we must continue. Just, watch yourself." She replied, hooking her lightsaber to her belt.  
  
Yenshu put her lightsaber on her belt and followed her master from the ship. They walked a short distance to a small building that sat alone. "He's here.I can feel it." she said quietly.  
  
Master Yuni opened the door carefully, not sure of what to expect. The door swung open all of the way and nothing happened. Cautiously, she stepped inside, her hand on her lightsaber. Yenshu followed her inside.  
  
As they stepped further in the house, a blaster bolt came flying towards them, in an instant, Winna had her saber out to block it. "Yenshu, I'll deal with this, you go find Xanatos." She said, still not believing that she was actually helping this boy.  
  
"Thank you master." Yenshu said before running through the house, dodging blaster fire when needed. After she searched every room, she found nothing. In the last room, she leaned against the wall, unsure of what to do next. She could feel him. He was close. She just couldn't see him. She stood and kicked the rug on the floor angrily. When she did, she noticed a door, just big enough for one person.  
  
She pulled out her lightsaber and opened the door. She carefully stepped down, using the Force to sense danger. She came out in a small hallway, big enough for only one person to pass through. She turned left and followed the path, her sense of Xanatos growing with every step. At the end of the hallway was a door. It had no form of window or anything, just the lock. She used the Force to unlock it and opened the door carefully. She gasped as she saw what was inside.  
  
Xanatos lay in the corner, blood all over his face. Yenshu ran beside him and knelt, wrapping her arms around him. Xanatos opened his eyes and looked into hers. "E." he whispered. Painfully he got up, letting Yenshu help him. "You need to get out of here." He said quietly. "They want to kill you.I can't let them do that."  
  
Yenshu shook her head and held Xanatos gently, making sure that she wasn't hurting him. "I'm not going to leave you here. Come on, we are taking you back to.well, somewhere where you'll be safe, though we don't know exactly where that will be yet."  
  
Xanatos smiled slightly, but his smile soon faded as he heard approaching footsteps. "Go, quickly. You have to."  
  
Yenshu shook her head stubbornly. "No. I am not going to leave you, not now, not ever."  
  
"Oh, I think you will." A man said. It was the one who had imprisoned Xanatos.  
  
Yenshu stood in front of Xanatos to protect him. "You will let him go."  
  
"I will do no such thing.unless another.offer comes around." The man said.  
  
Xanatos and Yenshu both understood. Xanatos stood beside Yenshu. "None of that will be happening here." He said, trying to sound stronger than he actually was.  
  
"Xanatos will only be allowed to go if another takes his place. Someone that will be of more assistance to me." The man continued, lustfully eyeing Yenshu.  
  
Yenshu looked between Xanatos and the man. It was the hardest decision she'd ever have to make, an imprisonment or her best friend.no, he was more than a friend.much more. Yenshu wrapped her arms around Xanatos and kissed him gently. "I have to do this." She whispered. "I have to because I love you." She then turned to the man. "Release him and I will stay. More Jedi would come after me than him."  
  
The man smiled cruelly and stepped forward. He picked up Xanatos and took him to an exit. He threw him outside. Xanatos stood and ran to the door. "NO!" he yelled, banging on it. "Yenshu! No!" he yelled.  
  
*****  
  
The man walked back into the cell where Yenshu was still standing proudly. "Now you will learn what a fool you were to make that mistake." He said. He walked over to Yenshu and pulled her saber from her hand. Before Yenshu could do anything, the man was on top of her, ripping the clothes from her body.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos used the strength he had left and walked to the front of his former prison. He saw Master Yuni lying in a pile of blood on the ground. Xanatos quickly went to her and felt for a pulse. It was there, just very weak. He gathered the force to himself and used it to carry Winna to the ship because he was to weak to do it himself.  
  
He sat in the cockpit after making sure that the Jedi Master was safely in a room with what medical attention he could provide. Xanatos took a deep breath. He had to go to the one place he didn't want to. Coruscant. The Jedi Temple. He knew that he would need more help to free Yenshu and he and the master needed proper medical attention.  
  
Xanatos set the coordinates in the navcomputer for Coruscant. The ship went into hyperspace. It would take a few days to get there. He went to the back and found a med pack and began treating some of his worse wounds. Once he was finished, he went to a room in the back of the ship to rest.  
  
*****  
  
By the time the ship landed, Xanatos was well enough to run straight to the temple, carrying Master Yuni. He first ran to the healers. She needed immediate medical attention. Once he dropped her off, he ran to the Council Chambers. Before the guards of the temple could catch him, he forced the doors open and closed them behind him. "Masters, call off the guards, I need to talk to you and it's important."  
  
Mace pressed a button near him. The guards stopped, but stood outside the doors in case the masters needed their assistance. "We will hear you, Xanatos."  
  
A sigh of relief escaped Xanatos's lips. "Thank you masters. It is extremely important. Master Yuni has been hurt badly. I already took her to the healers, but I am not sure if she will make it or not. I did what I could for her on the ship, but it was probably not enough. But there is another matter. Yenshu has been kidnapped.well, ok, not really kidnapped. She found me and took my place in that prison and I was to weak to get her myself." Xanatos took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest thing he would ever have to ask. "I need your help to get her. I know where she is, but her captor is very well armed and I believe he may have some Force ability. I am afraid for Yenshu.I mean, just based off of what he did to me, I don't even want to think about what he is doing to her. We have to help her and I will go, with or without your assistance, but preferably with."  
  
All of the eyes of the council went to Yoda. Yoda looked at Xanatos carefully, judging whether or not he was telling the truth. After a few agonizing moments he spoke. "Came here you did knowing that be imprisoned you could."  
  
"I will do anything to help Yenshu, even if it means I have to beg for your assistance. I know when I cannot win alone and I would not be able to win alone there." Xanatos replied.  
  
"Fear I sense in you.great fear.but not for yourself.Fear the council you do not.fear to be imprisoned again you do not.why do you fear?"  
  
"I fear that when I return to that planet, Yenshu will be dead, or worse. I do not know what that.man will do to her but I know I have to help her. But I fear that I will be to late."  
  
Yoda looked over Xanatos suspiciously. "Believe you I do. Help you we will. Prepare Jedi we will while in the healers you are. Be well to fight you must." He said.  
  
A sigh of relief left Xanatos. "Thank you masters, but you also must know that the man, he has said that his main reason to imprison her is to get the Jedi to come so that he could kill them. It is a trap."  
  
"We will still help you. We will send at least five teams, unless you think more will be needed. I personally will join you, as will some other members of the council." Mace said. "Now, go to the healers while we prepare. Oh, do you have a lightsaber?" he asked.  
  
"No master. Mine was taken from me when I was imprisoned and I have not had the time to make another." Xanatos replied.  
  
"Very well. You will have one of mine until you make another. Not my purple one, but I think blue would suit you." Mace replied, tossing a saber to Xanatos, who caught it easily.  
  
"T..T..Thank you Master Windu." He replied, shocked that the council was trusting him this much. He bowed and returned to the healers for medical attention.  
  
After Xanatos left, Eeth spoke up. "I can't believe you just gave him a saber and set him loose in the temple."  
  
Mace shot a look to the Jedi. "By coming here and asking for our help, he has shown that in this instance, he can be trusted. After this, I do not know, but for now, we treat him as we do any other knight. Now, if you don't trust him, then you can go on the mission to watch him." He said evenly.  
  
*****  
  
"I have just received a transmission. Jedi are coming my dear." The man said, running his hands down Yenshu's beaten body. "Soon, they will all be dead.except maybe you..I like you." He laughed evilly before continuing his fifth rape of the girl.  
  
Yenshu was to tired to move. It had been near a week and this man.no; monster.had been in her cell nearly constantly. If he wasn't beating her, then he was 'having fun' as he liked to put it. She could not move, her bonds were to tight. She had even ran out of tears.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos landed his ship near the building that he known for near a month. It had been two weeks since he left Yenshu. He had tried numerous times to reach her through their bond, but she would not answer him. He was afraid to find out why.  
  
He exited the ship, Mace, Yoda, and Eeth behind him. The other Jedi were sent to circle the building and await for a signal in case an ambush was needed. Slowly and cautiously they went towards the building, the three council members to the front and Xanatos to the back.  
  
*****  
  
A beeping noise could be heard inside of the cell. Yenshu's captor cursed. "Someone had to choose now to break into this place." He scowled. Then his face brightened. He licked Yenshu's chest. "Maybe it's your friends to come and play. Maybe they brought another Jedi that looks like you. I could have fun with her too." He said as he climbed off of his victim. "Now don't you make any noise deary. I don't want my favorite toy being taken away and I especially don't want to have to break her." He said before he closed the cell door.  
  
Yenshu began shaking. She hoped that it was someone besides the Jedi. She didn't want to be found because that meant that he would get more prisoners. The thought that her master might be with them crossed her mind. What if he got a hold of her? What if he did to her what he was doing to Yenshu?  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos heard the alarm. Good, he thought. The council members had done their part, now he just had to do his. He used the Force to open the door. Now that he had healed, he could grasp the Force to do tasks like this. He went to the cell that used to be his and found the door unlocked. He opened it and went inside  
  
******  
  
Yenshu saw the door open and her eyes widened in terror. Could he be back already? She was to weak to do anything to stop him. To even cry out in protest. She couldn't even move her head. A shape entered the door. Her eyes were to swollen to see. The shape moved closer.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos entered the cell and shock and horror filled him. He had found Yenshu, as he had planned, but he was not prepared for the condition in which he found her. She was strapped to a bed, he arms above her head and her legs tied open. She was naked and a mixture of blood, seaman, and puss could be seen all over her body. She was shaking violently. Tears of anger filled his eyes as he walked over to her. She was to weak to do anything.  
  
Carefully, Xanatos removed his cloak and placed it over Yenshu. Her shaking stopped as she realized who was with her. He used the Force to ease her. He gently untied the knots holding her legs. Where the rope was, she had rings around her ankles and mid-thighs. He untied her arms; she had sores there as well. "It's alright E..he won't be able to hurt you anymore. No one will. I'm here now and I'll make sure of it." He said gently.  
  
Yenshu couldn't say anything. She had lost her voice long ago from her screams. A smile managed to cross her face as she looked into Xanatos's eyes. He carefully picked her up and she leaned her head against his chest. She could feel his strength. She felt safe with him.in his arms. She never wanted to leave his arms. She closed her eyes and let sleep wash over her for the first time in two weeks.  
  
*****  
  
Mace signaled for the other Jedi to come. The ambush on the building was complete. All of the henchmen were dead. All that was left was the leader. Mace and Yoda went to the underground level of the prison. Each went in a different direction to see what they could find. Yoda had found Yenshu's cell. As soon as he looked at the bed and ropes, he knew what had happened and he knew who it had happened to. He shook his head sadly. From the other side of the hall, he could hear a blaster being fired, he quickly ran to where he had last seen Mace.  
  
Mace had his saber out, blocking the bolts. He had found the leader. He sensed Yoda come up from behind him. Mace continued blocking the fire as Yoda used his height to sneak behind the leader and stab him. Yoda then walked back to Mace. "Hurry we must. In terrible condition Padawan Yenshu is. Done unspeakable things to her this man did." Mace nodded and the two called the rest of the Jedi back to their ships.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos brought Yenshu to his ship and laid her down on a bed. "I am so sorry this happened to you." He said through tears. He grabbed a med pack and began treating the wounds he could. He then left the room and returned with food and water. Yenshu drank the water in sips. When she had finished, she was able to speak.  
  
"Xani.I.wasn't sure.if you.would.come." she said with difficulty.  
  
Xanatos put his finger over her lips. "Shh...don't talk.you need your strength." He said. "Now, I would never leave you to a certain death like that. I will never leave you at all. That's a promise that not even the Jedi can force me to break." He smiled and pushed a strand of hair from her face as he caressed her cheek. "Don't worry. You're safe now and no one will hurt you." Yenshu put her hand on his and smiled before falling back asleep.  
  
Xanatos took a deep breath and sat in the chair opposite the bed, waiting for the healers he had called. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. It was his old master, Qui-Gon Jinn. "You have done a great thing Xanatos." He said quietly.  
  
"Thank you master." He replied, his eyes returning to Yenshu. "She went through so much.just to save.me. What in the world could make her care about me so much?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.  
  
Qui-Gon sat in a chair next to Xanatos. "She saw what I saw when I picked you as a padawan all those years ago, just, from a different angle. I saw a talented boy that could go far in the Order, but had a lot of anger and pain from his past. She saw a boy her age that she had a lot in common with. You both had hard lives before you joined the Order. She just chose to leave her past behind her while you chose to face it."  
  
"And she was right.that's what I should have done.but I didn't.I was to afraid to." Xanatos said, shame in his voice. "I was to afraid to do a lot of things."  
  
"You weren't to afraid to come to the council when you needed help, even though you knew there was a chance that we would not listen to you." A deep voice said from the doorway. It was Mace Windu.  
  
Xanatos smiled weakly. "I guess when it comes to her, I'll do anything to make sure she's safe.even if I have to go to the council." Xanatos looked at Mace and Qui-Gon. "I don't want to leave her.ever. I regret the first time I left her. Then I left her again and this happened to her. I want to protect her."  
  
Mace shot a look at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon returned it with a nod. "There are two ways for you to stay with her, Xanatos. One: you can attempt to convince her to leave the Order and go with you, but I don't see that happening."  
  
"And the second?" Xanatos asked after Mace had paused for a moment.  
  
Mace took a deep breath. "Two: you can return to the Order and protect her there. Yoda and I have already agreed that if you choose to, you will be welcomed. If there are other objections, then we will deal with them."  
  
Xanatos looked between the two masters, shock on his face. He was not expecting this. "I.I.I need to think about this, Masters. I will get back to you about it." Mace nodded. It was the answer he expected. "I wish to remain here, with Yenshu. Will you please pilot the ship after the healers get here."  
  
"I'll do it." Qui-Gon said as he stood. "I'll go prep it now." He placed a comforting hand on Xanatos's shoulder. "She will be fine. This was not your fault." He whispered as he left.  
  
"I'll leave you to think about my offer." Mace said. "You did very well today Xanatos. I will return later with food and water for you." He said and then left, closing the door behind him.  
  
Xanatos moved to a chair that was next to Yenshu's bed. One of her hands had fallen to the side of the bed. He picked it up and held it, watching her sleep. "I don't know what I should do." He said aloud to himself. "Why can't life be as easy as it used to, huh?" he said with a half laugh. "We had so much fun when we were little. Never had to worry about anything but each other. I miss it so much."  
  
As he finished, there was a knock on the door. He stood in front of Yenshu with his hand on the saber that Mace had given him, out of instinct. "Who's there?" he asked.  
  
"It's the healers, Xanatos." A feminine voice said. Xanatos sighed and reprimanded himself for jumping to such ridiculous conclusions. He walked over to the door and opened it, allowing three healers inside. "Now, we will need to be alone with Padawan Yenshu. You can wait outside while we work."  
  
Xanatos was about to protest, when he saw Yoda motioning for him to leave the room. Xanatos sighed. "Fine, but as soon as you are finished, I want to be the first to know." The healer that had spoken nodded and pushed Xanatos out of the room, closing the door behind him. Xanatos walked over to a couch that was in the lounge area of the ship. It was across from the door he was just pushed from.  
  
Yoda jumped onto the couch next to Xanatos. "Like to speak with you I would." He said. Xanatos turned and looked at the small, green alien, waiting for him to continue. "A good thing you did. Saved that child you did. Care for her deeply I sense you do."  
  
Xanatos nodded and looked at the door again. "I care for her more than I do anything else, Master Yoda." He replied. "And though I may have had a hand in saving her today, I was the reason she was even there. This.everything.is all my fault."  
  
Yoda banged his walking stick on the couch, causing a loud 'bang' to echo through the room. "Your fault it is not! The will of the Force it was. A reason for it to happen there is, though know it for sure I do not. Speak to you has Mace?"  
  
Xanatos nodded. "Master Windu did speak with me about reentering the Order."  
  
"Have an answer do you?" Yoda asked.  
  
Xanatos thought for a moment. "I will join the Order under one condition."  
  
*****  
  
"That guy really did a number on her didn't he?" one of the healers said as she stitched up some of Yenshu's wounds.  
  
"He did more than a number, that's for sure. He must have raped her hundreds of times judging by these marks." Another said.  
  
"Poor girl. She's only eighteen and has to live with something like this." The third said. "I wonder if the council will make her see a mind healer about this."  
  
"Probably. I mean, this isn't a normal thing, but it will scar her emotionally and mentally most likely." The first answered.  
  
"I wonder more what the council is gonna do about that Xanatos guy. I mean, he won't leave Yenshu alone for a minute unless he's forced to, and he did turn a while back. I wonder if they'll let him stay." The second asked. The other two shrugged.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos and Yoda had just finished talking as the healers left the room. He stood and walked over to one of them. "How is she? Is she going to be alright?" he asked.  
  
The healer smiled. "She will be fine. We dressed her and her wounds. Don't worry about her. If something happens, call us." She said and then left.  
  
Xanatos thanked the healers and went into the room. He sat in the chair next to Yenshu again and pushed the hair from her face. He kissed her forehead softly. "I love you." He whispered in her ear. He then laid his head down on the top of the pillow, next to her and closed his eyes.  
*****  
  
Yenshu opened her eyes. Her body hurt everywhere. She looked around the room frantically, hoping that her rescue wasn't just a dream. As she looked to the left of her bed, she saw Xanatos asleep in a chair. It was real. She was rescued. She no longer had to look at that.man and dread what he did to her almost constantly. She kept her eyes on Xanatos. He looked so peaceful. She wondered what he was dreaming about or if he was even dreaming.  
  
Xanatos felt someone watching him and opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw who it was. "Yenshu." He said happily. He got up and stood beside the bed, taking her hand. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked.  
  
Yenshu smiled. "I don't need anything and I am feeling fine. I think I just need more rest, but I haven't been able to sleep well. Dreams and memories of that.place keep coming to mind. Every time I close my eyes I see that man's face staring at me.his hands all over me, hurting me.laughing at my attempts to free myself and then punishing me for not cooperating." She said with a shudder as the memories surfaced once again.  
  
Xanatos kissed the back of Yenshu's hand gently. "I don't know what I can do to help you with that, except for what we did when we were little."  
  
Yenshu nodded. "Can we try that? I mean, I know it's weird and all."  
  
Xanatos smiled. "It's not weird. I don't mind doing it." He said. Yenshu scooted over and Xanatos lay beside her on the bed. He put his arms around her, partly to comfort her and partly to protect her. "Now go to sleep. I'll join you in a second." He said. Yenshu nodded and closed her eyes, leaning her head on Xanatos's chest. Xanatos closed his eyes and used the Force to enter Yenshu's mind.  
  
As the two slept, Shaak Ti and Adi Gallia walked by to check on Yenshu. "What is going on?" Adi asked. She stepped towards the bed to make Xanatos leave, but Shaak Ti stopped her.  
  
"Don't. If you wake them, it will cause more harm than this is." She said. Adi gave her a confused look. "They did this when they were little. If one of them was having bad dreams then the other would lie next to them and enter their mind to keep the dreams at bay. That is what he is doing for her now. Plus, though he doesn't realize it, he is doing exactly what a mind healer would do. As she sleeps, she will slowly deal with it all, but only with his help. He is also helping her to heal physically because now she doesn't have to use her healing energy on her mind, he's doing it for her." She explained  
  
Adi nodded in understanding. "Fine, but I still don't like the fact that he's here and that Yoda and Mace asked him to join the Order without consulting us."  
  
Shaak Ti laughed. "They didn't ask because they knew that you'd say 'no'. Now, c'mon, let's let them sleep." She pulled a curtain around the bed and led Adi away.  
  
*****  
  
Xanatos woke up. He looked at a calendar on the wall. "Wow..." he said.  
  
Yenshu opened her eyes and looked at Xanatos. "What?" she asked.  
  
"We've been out for a week." He replied. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "It was a great week though."  
  
Yenshu laughed. "It was a good week. I'm almost totally healed now." She said, a smile still on her face.  
  
Xanatos's look became serious. "I need to talk to you about something."  
  
The smile left Yenshu's face. "Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"No, nothing's wrong." He reassured her. "Master Yoda and Master Windu have asked that I return to the Order." He said.  
  
Yenshu smiled wide. "That's fantastic! What did you tell them?" she asked.  
  
"I told them that I would under one condition."  
  
"And what condition was that?"  
  
"That when I asked you to marry me and if you say 'yes' then they let us get married and don't interfere." He answered with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Are you serious?" Yenshu asked, shock in her voice. She could feel her cheeks becoming hot as she blushed.  
  
"But that wasn't the proposal. I will propose to you properly when you least expect it." He said with a wink.  
  
"What did the council say?"  
  
"They said that Mace Windu himself would walk you down that aisle, if you say 'yes'."  
  
Yenshu wrapped her arms around Xanatos and kissed him passionately. After a few minutes, she pulled away.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked, still taking in air.  
  
"That was your welcome back to the Order." Yenshu said with a smirk.  
  
Xanatos licked his lips. "That was the best welcome I've ever had." He replied.  
  
"Well, I can always make it better." Yenshu said, closing the distance between her and Xanatos.  
  
"I don't know, that was pretty good. You'd have to try really hard to get better than that." He said with a grin.  
  
"Well, I can at least try can't I? I mean, unless you object of course."  
  
Xanatos tightened his arms around Yenshu, closing the distance even more. "I can't think of a single reason why I would object to anything that you suggest."  
  
Yenshu kissed him gently at first. After a few moments, Xanatos opened his mouth, allowing her tongue explore. Xanatos's hands ran down her slender figure, ending at her waist. His skin, normally rough and hard, seemed gentle to her. As if to tease him, she began to pull away. Xanatos kept his hold of her waist, not letting her escape his arms.  
  
"Excuse me?" a voice said. Xanatos and Yenshu both pulled away and looked toward the origins of the voice. It was Master Yuni. "I have these keen knack for finding you when you're making out don't I?" she said, shaking her head.  
  
Xanatos blushed slightly. "Uh.hello master. Glad to see you up and around."  
  
Yenshu gave Xanatos a confused look. Master Yuni decided to answer for him. "I was shot with a blaster when we went to save him. When he got out he found me and brought me here." She explained. Winna walked over and sat next to the bed. "I was going to come here and thank you, but it appears that you have been thanked enough for one day."  
  
Yenshu blushed. "I'm glad you are well master." She said. "I am healthy now too. Can we continue my training yet? I want to get out of the healers. I hate hospitals."  
  
"You have to be looked over by a healer first. If they say you're all right then you can go home for a little while. But I believe the council wanted to speak with you once you were well enough to get up there. I'll tell them to give you a few days to get settled." Master Yuni said.  
  
Yenshu smiled. "Thank you Master." While the two spoke, Xanatos slipped off of the bed and began heading for the curtain that was acting as a door. Yenshu saw him. "Where are you going?" she asked, trying to cover the fact that she was hurt that he was leaving without telling her.  
  
Xanatos turned around. "I figured that you and your master should spend some time together. I was just gonna go fix up my quarters." He explained.  
  
Yenshu nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later Xani."  
  
Xanatos smiled and walked over to her, kissing her gently. "Bye E. I'll be back in a while." He said and then turned and left.  
  
"Why does he call you 'E'?" Winna asked after a moment.  
  
"It was a nickname when we were little. I couldn't say his name correctly, so I called him Xani. One day he just started calling me 'E'. I never really learned why." She said thoughtfully. "I'm gonna have to ask him that."  
  
Master Yuni laughed. "I would probably recommend it." She said. 


End file.
